Kelvin Kiptum, Kenya’s world record-holding marathon runner, has died in a car crash.
The death of the 24-year-old, who was driving in western Kenya on Sunday evening when his car rolled over, has left the world of athletics in shock.
Kiptum lost control of the vehicle, and the young running sensation and his Rwandan coach, Gervais Hakizimana, were killed on the spot, a local police officer said. A female passenger who sustained injuries was rushed to the hospital.
Kiptum exploded onto the marathon scene when he ran a world record 2:00:35 in Chicago in October, taking 34 seconds off fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge’s previous record.
He was just 23 years old at the time, and competing in only his third marathon. Kiptum also won his other two races: his debut in Valencia in 2022 and a follow-up in London the following year.
The Kenyan had announced he would attempt to become the first man to run an official marathon under the two-hour mark in Rotterdam on April 14.
Kiptum was the overwhelming favourite to take the gold at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris.
Kiptum hailed from Chepkorio, a village in the Rift Valley where the accident occured.
Ten years ago, barely a teen, he herded goats and sheep and then began following Hakizimana, who is from Rwanda, and other runners as they trained in the legendary high-altitude region.
By 2019, Kiptum ran two half-marathons in two weeks, going 60:48 in Copenhagen and 59:53 in Belfort, France. He began training with Hakizimana, who stayed in Kenya when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
